Winters Claws
by OrangeReservoir
Summary: No Summary as of yet, will sure to fix that in future, basically a fic about the relationship between Fili and Kili before the quest to Erebor, whilst they still lived in Ered Luin, spiced up by my own invented storyline. Mainly about how they support one-another through harsh times. (No Durincest!)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there my fellow Hobbit fans! It took me a while after the last movie was released to get up the courage to write a fic in this category, I still feel a little bit broken inside after the Battle of the Five Armies. However, I finally got around to it!**

 **This first chapter doesn't really reveal the storyline, as I was hoping to show Fili and Kili's need for one anothers company, and brotherly support, but I promise it will get better!**

* * *

The stirred dust circulated around the room, visible in the rays of light that nipped at his freshly opened eyes. It could only mean one thing, Kili had woken, and not all that long ago. Laying for a moment in the warmth that the blankets provided, he listened carefully, waiting for the sound of his brothers heavy boots to echo down the hall, causing the floorboards to groan. But there was nothing, only silence. Pulling the coverings closer to his exposed skin, he rose, the air in the room making him tremble; winter had to be his least favourite season. _Where on earth is my coat?_

Fili searched for his favourite jacket, instantaneously amused when he spotted it laid out on Kili's bed, along with his other clothing for the day. _He's put it in the sun so it's warm…_

There was no way to describe his bother; he seemed to be so unbearable at times, and yet in moments like this he had no idea what he would do without him. Looking down he noticed his boots, laid out so that his feet wouldn't have to make contact with the freezing cold floor, _what in Mahal's name does he want?_ Eyeing the fur boots suspiciously he slid his feet inside. _This could be a trick…think like Kili thinks._ Scanning the room he searched for reasons as to why his possessions were so perfectly arranged, but found nothing. Standing in place, leaving the comforting warmth of his blankets behind, he took slow steps towards his cloak. But with each stride he came to the realisation that there was no jest or joke aimed at him; it was genuine care.

Smiling, he pulled on his winter fur, today he had training with Dwalin. It was Kili's most hated time of the week, because for the most part of an entire day they were separated, completing unconnected tasks; his brother most likely stuck in the house all day with Mother, or working in the mines with Thorin. He chuckled to himself knowing, that as soon as he began the descent from the top of the stairs, the only noise in the kitchen would be incessant moaning, about how it was unfair that they were to be apart for such a long amount of time. Fili adjusted his collar, before fixing his hair into place; double checking that all of his braids were still intact. It was then he found, however that one had come loose, as he pulled the bead from the large braid towards the back of his tangled mess of dishevelled locks.

"Hey Kili?!"

He called loudly from the room, waiting for the sound of a rapid pair of feet climbing the stairs, but found that there was no reply from downstairs.

"…Kili?"

He paused again, but still received no response. _What? Where is he?_ Peering around the frame of the door he stared down towards the kitchen to where his mother was making breakfast. As he made his descent, a strange, hollow feeling struck him. The loose floorboard in the kitchen creaked as he paced towards his mother.

"Where is Kili?"

She jumped at the question, obviously unaware of his presence.

"Oh! Fili! – "

Turning to face him now, Dis struck him with the dishcloth playfully. His mother looked worn, as she usually did this time every winter. The scarce amount of food placed pressure on many of the families of Ered Luin. Fathers went to hunt most days, but could catch nothing but small game, and the women watched their children thin and wither with the harsh cold. Thorin did what he could to prepare for the lack of food in the season prior, but always found that what he gathered was never enough to satisfy the starving.

"Kili? He went out with Thorin, why, do you need him for something?"

Fili shook his head slowly, part of him disappointed that he would have to walk himself to swords training.

"I was just going to ask him to re-braid my hair"

"You must learn to do so yourself darling – " She grinned at him now and moved closer, before taking a large sum of hair his into her hands "Kili won't always be there to do it for you"

The gentle touch of her soft fingers, weaving locks of his hair into place brought back memories of childhood. Some of the memories treasured, the others there to haunt him as he slept. Dis put the pin in place careful not to destroy the art she had created, even though they both knew that Kili would pull it apart as soon as he saw a foreign braid in his older brother's hair.

"There, will that substitute your brothers for now?"

"It should do fine…and what do you mean Kili won't always be there? We can't stand a day apart, trust me, I believe that I will get along just fine without that skill"

They exchanged glances before simultaneously smiling. Their inseparable behaviour always made their mother proud, even when Thorin said that it was unhealthy. He was told his entire growing up that being loyal to one another was a Dwarvish given, but to live based on another's movement was completely different. They were told not to be one another's weakness; and yet without Kili he might as well be non-existent.

/

Sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes, as he tried to move his feet, the snow catching his boots. Although it was late afternoon Kili had not come to meet him, _surely he's finished up with Thorin by now?_

"What was on your mind today lad?"

Dwalin spoke up behind him as they crossed the empty yard.

"You were distracted"

Fili knew he was distracted, the entire day had seemed off.

"It's Kili"

"What has he done now?"

"It's what he hasn't done Dwalin. I haven't seen him all day and it's not in his nature, I'm worried. He meets me after training most days, and he's not here"

The warrior grinned as he hung the weapons in place.

"I saw him just this morning with your Uncle lad, he's in good hands"

The tone in Dwalin's voice indicated that the seasoned warrior had finished the conversation, nodding his head towards the road, letting Fili take leave of the day's teachings. He waved slightly in return before swinging his pack over his right side shoulder. Normally he would have stayed and aided in packing away the weapons, but tonight he was set on reaching the cabin before dark; to the warmth of its walls, and his brother.

* * *

"Go on home Kili, you have worked well today, Fili will be expecting you"

It was that time of week, that dreadful day in which his brother improved his skills in combat, while he was stuck doing chores and running errands for his mother and Uncle; and finally, after enduring a day that seemed to drag on and on, it was over.

"Thank you Thorin"

He chimed pulling on his coat hastily; if he left the open field, in which he and seven other young dwarves had been cutting winter firewood for the most part of the afternoon, he would make it back to the training yards to watch the last part of Fili's training. Carefully he strapped his bow in place, along with the quiver of arrows, before stretching the muscles in his shoulders. Wielding a weapon that was heavier than his own often did this, and the repeated unchanging movement involved in splitting wood didn't help. Staring towards the sky he located the positioning of the sun, he would make in back in time. Turning to smile at his Uncle, he made his way towards the path that lead him straight for the main settlement of town.

"Don't be home late again either! your mother will have me skinned!" - his uncle called in his direction. He didn't stop or turn to acknowledge the words given to him, he simply continued moving forward. Travelling at this rate, he would only be somewhat late for his mothers meal...


	2. Chapter 2

He ran his worn fingers through the collar of his winter coat as he hung it on the brass hook, his feet were wet, and all he could think about was pulling of his shoes and sitting down in the warm kitchen for a bowl of his sister's stew. He could smell that distinct scent from a mile away, venison that had broiled in a pot for the most part of the day, only Dis could recreate the food of their childhood to absolute perfection.

Pulling the worn hide away from his sole revealed the cracks in Thorin's feet, but he ignored this now, as the bliss sound of his nephew's laughter reached his ears. Fili was chuckling in the kitchen, he sounded content and happy with his day as he whisked his mother away into the tales of training with Dwalin. Making his way down the hall he smiled when he reached the doorway and saw the golden hair and the grin.

"And that was when I called him an old man, he didn't take too kindly to that at all! I wish you could have seen his face…"

The story seemed to stop midway, as Fili gazed his tired and withered Uncle. The cheery vibe that the room held slowly faded as they both looked upon Thorin's grazes and bloody knuckles.

"No need to worry, splitting timber is hard work, but I'm sure that a warm dinner will relieve the aches, please Fili, continue the story I was amused"

The smirk on his bright face appeared again as he told the story with as much effort as he had left to give, arms waving and head tilting backwards as he let out loud bellows at the particularly funny parts. He stopped wiping away tears of joy as his story came to an end.

"And that was when he told me that I could leave early for home to meet Ki-"

Suddenly Fili's chair went flying backwards crashing onto the hard rock floor. It was all a bit confusing, as both Thorin and Dis watched the young Dwarf race up the stairs onto the second floor of the old shack.

"KILI!? WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Panic washed over him now, where the hell was his nephew.

"Dis I swear I sent him home over two hours ago, he should be here, he should have been at the training yards in time to meet Fili"

Hollow, that was all Fili felt as he put his hunting knives and two days' worth of rations into his pack. In the room over, Thorin was trying to comfort his worried mother. He was going to check the homes of the people that were family to them, Balin, Dwalin… then if Kili could not be found he would venture along the path through the woods where the others would go to collect timber for the stoves, in hopes of finding traces of his missing brother. It had been over an hour, and he had already wasted so much time, how did he not notice. So caught up in the telling of his tale that he hadn't even realised Kili was not present. Pulling on his coat he slipped away out the front door as his mother and Uncle's discussion became heated.

"You said you were watching him! You let him walk along those paths alone, he should have returned with you and not a moment earlier!" her voice was desperate now.

"Dis please, I thought he would follow the trail home…"

Tears welled in his eyes as the bitter cold wind slapped him in the face, but the tears were not only from the cold, no. If he didn't find his brother before daybreak, Kili would freeze to death in the harsh conditions

 **If anyone was following this user, its my younger sister. I found her logon details in her journal today as I was packing away her things and realised that she was writing stories. I cried reading most of these, she passed away after crashing her cruiser over a year ago, a kangaroo jumped in front of the car and got jammed in the steering rack forcing her off the road. She was alive for a month in induced coma before she passed away in June last year. I don't really know how this site works so I apologise if I made mistakes but I thought that she would want me to upload the last thing she wrote in her documents for the people that she wrote it for.**


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